B2B Lead Nurturing Best Practices

Posted On Saturday, November 26, 2016 by Robert Smith

Lead nurturing allows sales people to “warm up” prospects so they are more likely to buy their product or service. Regardless of what exactly your company sells, it can prove useful in boosting conversion rates and improving overall productivity. However, you'll want to follow these best practices for effectively nurture your B2B sales leads.

Use Multiple Methods of Communication

Not every prospect checks their inbox on a daily basis, nor do they all check their business phone line for messages. This is why it's a good idea to use multiple methods of contact when reaching out to prospects. By engaging B2B leads through two or more channels, you'll have an easier time nurturing them and prepping to convert.

Send Emails Regulary... But Not Too Frequently

There's nothing more frustrating than checking your inbox, only to see half a dozen emails from the same company. When this occurs, many recipients will block the sender, or worse, mark the message as spam. To avoid such problems with your lead nurturing efforts, you should send emails regularly but not too frequently. According to some studies, one email every 3-4 weeks is the sweet spot. Of course, you may experience better results with a different frequency, so feel free to experiment to see what works and what doesn't.

Acknowledge Prospects' Concerns

There's usually a reason (or several) why a prospect doesn't take action and buy a product or service. Maybe they are waiting to see if a competitor has a better price, or perhaps they simply need more time to make a decision. Regardless, you should try to identify and acknowledge these concerns. Only then can you nurture sales leads and ultimately convince them to buy your product or service.

Score Your Sales Leads

Don't underestimate the importance of scoring your prospects. As the name suggests, this involves giving a quality rating to your prospects. If a prospect is highly engaged and interested in your product or service, he or she should be scored higher than a prospect who's expressed little-to-no interest in what you have to offer.

Make Yourself Available

When a prospect reaches out to you, you need to be there to answer. If you aren't, there's a good chance the prospect will take his or her business elsewhere, such as one of your competitors. Not every salesperson can stand by the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – and that's okay. You can, however, schedule a specific day and time for a follow-up conversation with prospects.